the fire's found a home in me
by destroyeverything
Summary: Sequel for 'Expect the Unexpected', set a few weeks after. Rose is now the Head Guardian at Court, and is expected to carry out her duty like any other in her position: diplomatically and without question. They forget, this is Rose Hathaway; rule-following doesn't exist in her world, and trouble is always bound to find her. Can she manage work, family and friends all at once?
1. Chapter 1

I was wrong. I was so wrong. I'm not fit for this; I'm only twenty! A twenty year old in charge of the survival of a whole species? Wow, nice going whoever thought of that!

"Guardian Hathaway, what do we do?" a young male guardian, who was probably older than me, asks with wide, fearful eyes.

I sighed. For once in my life, I was speechless. Rose Hathaway has been rendered speechless. Take a picture folks, you've been waiting years to see this.

"Guardian Hathaway, are you listening!" an elder male guardian demands, looking angry.

I snapped. "If you could give me five minutes to come up with a fucking plan, then I will listen and tell you what to do!"

They all took a step back, in case I was going to throw a punch. To be honest, I was thinking about it. A nice right hook on that idiot's jaw would not go amiss.

I sighed again, trying to calm myself and think rationally. What would a good guardian do? What would someone with year of experience do? Hell, what would Dimitri do?

"…How many confirmed survivors do we have?" I hesitantly ask. It can't be many, not with the reports we've been given.

"Sixteen lives are confirmed, though many are in a critical condition. Those already on-site are doing their best," the older man tells me.

"And how many are on-site?"

"Nine. What do you propose we do?"

"Do whatever you can to get everyone back inside wards. Take them to the Old Court. If they can give a statement, take it. Give them food, rest, blood, whatever they need. Just get some statements if possible so we have an idea of numbers."

"Yes ma'am. Johnston, give the order," the man snapped. The younger man hurried off. "…What do we tell the public?" he sighed.

"Nothing yet."

"And the Queen?"

"Not yet. I'll speak with her when I can. Arrange an appointment. Also, get a list of everyone that was at St James' during the time of the attack so we can… you know."

"…I'll get the contact numbers of families as well," he promised quietly.

"Thank you… make no calls and tell no one until I give the order, got it?"

"Got it, Guardian Hathaway. We need to do this on an orderly fashion."

"Exactly."

He ran off to do as I told him. I began on the paperwork that came with an attack as large as this. I thought the St Vladimir's attack had changed our world. I was wrong—this changes everything. St James' Academy, England, was much larger than St Vlads, which made it much worse.

St Vladimir's was a smaller academy. Alden College, New York State, was the largest, followed by St James. There would have been a thousand children an faculty at St James, easily. It was the only Academy in England, after they all merged in the late nineteen-sixties; when our kind really needed to start hiding from the humans.

"Guardian Hathaway, the list. Their emergency contact name and numbers are listed next to them. I've marked off those that survived… one thousand and twelve didn't survive," the guardian from before tells me. I know his name, it's something like Chekov or Cheville, or Che—something Russian! Now isn't the time to ask for his name.

"Thank you," I monotonously replied. One thousand and twelve lives... That's a lot!

"…Are you okay?" he asks me.

"Fin," I promised. "Just figuring out what to do. Have the survivors been moved?"

"In transit as we speak. A team has been dispatched to take statements and provide assistance. Do you wish for us to fly them here so you can personally speak with them?"

"No. I'll go to them. Is the Queen ready to meet with me?"

"She's booked out for the day."

"Her bad luck," I muttered, gathering my things.

The guardian called out a warning, but I didn't listen. I made my way over to the Queen's sitting room, where she conducted all of her business from. The bitch wants to be in comfort all the time, even when deciding the fate of her people. Personally, I think it's really distasteful, but the Moroi love her.

"Guardian Hathaway, you aren't scheduled for a meeting," a royal guardian frowned as I burst into the building.

"There's been an attack," I simply reply.

His face darkened. It was quickly covered with the guardians' signature emotionless mask. "Of course. She'll call you through when she's finished," he promised.

I took a seat and impatiently waited. I pulled my phone out as it buzzed. A message from Guardian Chekovsky. Ah, that's his name!

'Your plane leaves in half an hour, Guardian Hathaway' the message read.

Fuck it.

I got up and flung the doors to the Queen's sitting room open. A group of people turned to me, surprised.

"Guardian Hathaway, what on earth are you doing?" Queen Tatiana herself growled.

"Your Highness," I drawled, "there's been a serious attack that I need to discuss with you."

She kept glaring. "I am in a meeting."

"And my plane leaves in half an hour to see the dead bodies of your loyal subjects."

"…I apologise for her, friends. Guardian Hathaway is still adjusting to her position."

"Which is?" I ask. "Last I heard, my position was as Head Guardian. You're supposed to let me speak when it is required, Your Majesty."

She laughed. "You are supposed to speak when I allow it. The nerve of this girl, I knew she was not fit for the job," she laughs with the other royal Moroi surrounding her.

"Does anyone have a child at St James' Academy?" I ask.

There was silence throughout the room, until one man spoke.

"Y-yes? My son, he's six. Why? What happened there?"

I didn't feel so cocky anymore. His six year old son? Oh my god, he's six, I don't know if he's dead or alive, I—

"I'm sorry," I tell him quickly, trying to stop my train of thought getting any darker. "…There's been an attack. It isn't public news yet. It happened a few hours ago. Um… survival rate was not high," I bit my lip.

"Dear god! How many died? Ten? Twenty?" a woman asked.

"Who cares about the dhamp lives," another man snorted.

"Moroi died as well," I inform them dryly.

"…How many?" the man with the son asked, gulping in fear.

"I don't know the exact number of Moroi and dhampir deaths separately, but together…"

"Is it double digits?" another man cut in.

"No, it's—"

He laughed. "So you bother us for nothing?"

"Very unimpressive, Hathaway," the Queen frowned.

"It is at least triple digits, possibly even four. A thousand lives, depending on how many people were at St James' on that particular day."

Silence rang throughout the room again. I watched as their faces morphed into that of horror. The man with the child almost broke down. I felt awful for him, but I needed to be composed. No crying in front of the Queen, Rose. You are fearless.

"…This information is not yet public. I will send further news when I have it. I'll be gone for a while, to England, to help with the clean-up, interviews, etcetera," I inform Tatiana. "Myself and Guardian Tanner will be in contact with you," I finished. I bowed and left.

Mikhail, Guardian Tanner, was a disparaged guardian. He left his post a few years ago to hunt down his lover, Sonya Karp, who had turned Strigoi. Upon being appointed Head Guardian, I employed him as my right-hand-man. I understood why he did what he did. He is a good guardian and a good man, and doesn't deserve what he has been given.

I hurried to my apartment and threw a few items into an overnight bag. Once I had the essentials, I raced over to Lissa and Christian's house, where everyone was for the day.

"Oh hey, did you finish early!" Lissa smiled. "I was thinking we could all go out for lunch?" she offered.

"Maybe another time," I quickly tell her. "There was an attack at St James', in England. I need to go, my plane leaves in a few minutes."

"Don't they have the people to combat it over there?" Eddie frowned.

I hesitated. "Not for an attack of that size."

Everyone looked uncomfortable. "How big does it have to be for the Head Guardian to be required?" Christian gulped.

"…There needs to be less than twenty survivors."

"What?" Lissa cried.

"Rose, come on, be serious," Eddie tells me, looking desperate. We've both seen destruction like it, but on a lesser scale. Imagining what I'm about to go and see… I don't think it's possible to truly imagine. The number of lives that were lost makes me physically sick.

"We only have sixteen confirmed survivors. I'll tell you guys when I have more information. I'm off to inspect everything and talk with the survivors. I don't know if we'll be able to track anyone down. Where's Amelia?" I ask. Where was Dimitri as well?

"Um, outside. Dimitri and Adrian are playing basketball with her," Lissa whispered, clearly still shocked. I quietly left the room, letting them think it over.

Adrian was looking at me curiously as I went out into the backyard.

"What?" I ask.

"Your aura is much darker than usual, little dhampir. What's up?"

"An attack in England. I'm leaving to check it out."

"Why?" Dimitri frowned, handing Amelia the ball.

"Because there weren't many survivors."

Dimitri sighed. He looked over at Amelia for a minute and nodded. "Okay. Call us when you land and have more information," he ordered.

"I will. Be safe and keep her out of trouble."

"Of course," he promised, engulfing me in his embrace. I kissed him quickly, and then went over to Amelia.

"Mummy! Mummy, come play with me!" she squealed.

God, now I feel like and awful mother, again. I never spend time with her when she asks. I'm always busy, or exhausted, or just something. I'm missing out on her life. I have always said that I never wanted to be like my mother, but I am turning into her. I wouldn't be surprised if Amelia hated me for being an awful mother. I hate me for being an awful mother.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart; I need to go away for work. I'll be back soon though," I tell her, not sure if I was lying or not.

"Why?" she frowned.

"The bad guys attacked our people, and I need to go and help everyone."

"Okay," she frowned. "Will they be alright? Are they hurt?"

"I don't know yet. I'll call you and daddy as soon as I land and have information, okay? I'll call you every day, and you can call me whenever you need to."

"Just make the bad guys pay, okay mummy?"

"I will. I promise," I smiled, kissing her on the cheek and lifting her up.

I finished saying my goodbyes and made my way over to the tarmac. I stood around impatiently, waiting for the final wheel checks to be done, before we could board the plane.

"Guardian Hathaway," a male voice greeted.

I smiled. "Guardian Tanner. How are you?"

"Really? You're asking me how I feel when we're about to go and check out some mutilated bodies?"

I frowned. "Yeah?" I dumbly replied.

He sighed. "Not good, then. You?"

"Dreadful," I muttered, not looking at him. Time to switch back into business-mode, Rose. You're a guardian. No visible emotions.

We got on the plane and settled in for the long flight.


	2. Chapter 2

_We got on the plane and settled in for the long flight._

We landed at the Old Court's airport… I don't know when. There's a time difference, but I can't remember what it is. It looked like the early vampiric morning. Maybe nine am, our time. We launched right into work, anyway, not getting a single moment to rest. Or a moment to call Amelia and Dimitri.

The survivors gave as many details as they could. They were still shaken up, most of them being innocent Moroi. The guardians were much more helpful, but even they were a bit blurry. They couldn't count the Strigoi that invaded, or even make a guess. There was just so many.

That night we finally got some rest. I also called home. I told Dimitri everything I knew, and gave Amelia a less violent recap of my day. She told me all about her day, and how Auntie Lissa took her to the park with Uncle Eddie and they played on the slide for hours and hours. I couldn't stop smiling. At least someone is there for her. I know Dimitri is with her every second that he can. She has enough support to not be a fuck up like me, and hopefully to not hate me as much as she should. I don't know what I will do if she grows to hate me like I hate my mother. I won't be able to live with myself knowing I've ruined her life.

Mikhail and I were escorted to St James' the following day. It was a fair drive from the Old Court, through the rainy English countryside. We had a whole convoy with us, to help us with whatever we decided to do, whether it be to track down the Strigoi, gather bodies, burn everything, anything. I don't know what I'll do just yet. It would be nice to rebuild and for people to live there again, but I need to be realistic. No one is going to want to live on the site of a major attack.

I don't think we'll be able to track any Strigoi, either. There aren't enough of us, going by the estimated number of Strigoi we came up with. I don't know how I'm going to tell the parents that we aren't going to hunt down their children for them. If I were a parent being told that my child was a hopeless case, and that I will never see them again, I would not take it. I'd bring down a shit-storm on the guardians, which I am sure is what will happen.

It got bad as we neared the site of St James. There were bodies a good mile out from the Academy. Drained, staked, decapitated, all sorts. It was sickening.

"Shit," I muttered, before we pulled up at the gates. "Stop the car," I ordered. The driver pulled up, clearly confused. I got out and went over to the first body I'd seen.

"Can you tell… what it was?" Mikhail cringed, coming up alongside me.

"I think it's a Strigoi," I replied, turning him over. Yeah, Strigoi, definitely. It had been staked.

I gnawed on my lip, looking around at the devastation. "Has evidence been taken? Pictures, notes, all of that?" I frown.

"Yep. We've got copies in the car," he replied in a strained tone.

"Then let's start gathering the bodies. We need to rebuild somehow," I muttered.

He sighed. "No one is going to want to come back here."

"Well what do we do? Leave this in ruins? Let the humans stumble across it and find out about us?"

We can't just abandon this place. Even if the school shuts down, we can't leave bodies everywhere. We need to burn the Strigoi bodies, and recover as many of ours as possible. They deserve a funeral or something. Their parents should get some sort of closure. It isn't right to leave everything.

"Okay," I sighed. "Start a fire. Get the Strigoi bodies and burn them. Any of ours… we need to identify them and…"

"I know," he promised. He went and relayed the orders to the other guardians.

By the end of the day, we had the Strigoi bodies burnt. We were beginning to line up the bodies of our dead.

We returned the next day to identify everyone. We'd gotten a picture and details of every student, guardian and member of faculty so we could get them and tell their parents.

I sat in my room that night, typing up the report. We've combed through the whole schools, looking for any piece of a body, even a drop of blood that doesn't belong. I now had to give the statement of bodies recovered, known Strigoi kills, those missing, those safe and what we will do with the academy.

I sent it off to Court, wanting to vomit. I never wanted to be given this job. Even if three people had have been injured, I wouldn't be okay with it. Now they've got me overseeing a mass attack? Is this what our society wants a twenty year old to be dealing with? I can't even legally drink, and they have me running the whole show. I just want to go home to my fiancée and daughter, and for us to live a quaint little life with my charge and her husband, and have someone else to see all of this and deal with it.

We were bombarded when we returned to Court. There were flocks of Moroi, royal and non-royal, demanding answers. We immediately figured that Queen Tatiana had decided to skip over the finer details that I had sent to her; the details that everyone wanted to know. A lot of these people looking like parents.

"We need to tell them something," Mikhail tells me.

"I know. They should know everything, I sent it all to the Queen to relay," I frowned. Did she bother to tell them anything?

"I don't know," he mumbled.

I took us straight through to speak with Queen Tatiana. Again, I just barged in. This time, she didn't seem to mind as much.

"Was the report all of the details you know?" she asks, not bothering with any of the pleasantries.

"Yes. Have you released it?"

"No. all I have told the people is that there was a major attack. It is your job to do the rest."

Crap. Of course. "Okay. Where may I speak to everyone?" I muttered.

"You may have the Royal Hall."

I nodded and left. People seemed to swarm after me.

"The Royal Hall in an hour. We shall release all information that we have," I tell them.

I stormed off home. I threw my bag down and went to find Dimitri or Amelia. Dimitri came through, looking sorrowful.

"Are you alright?" he asks hesitantly.

"No," I mumbled, pulling him into a hug. "It wasn't good."

"I'm sorry you had to see it."

"Someone had to… how's Amelia?"

"She's alright. Sleeping, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind you waking her up."

"No, I need to go and tell everyone in a few minutes."

"Have you left any time for yourself?" he sighed.

"Yeah. I just need to tell everyone first. They deserve to know what happened."

"Oh. Want me there? I'm sure someone will babysit Amelia?" he offered.

"They'll probably want to be there as well."

"Maybe not."

I frowned. "I would like you there," I admit.

"I'll call Christian."

Christian and Lissa were at our place quickly. They promised they had everything under control. Dimitri and I left for the Royal Hall, both not looking forward to what was coming. Eddie, Adrian and Tasha met up with us. Tasha shot me a dirty look, but didn't speak. I would have just slapped her out if she had have spoken; I'm not in the mood for her jealous bullshit.

I made my way up the front of the hall. Queen Tatiana was on her throne beside me, looking front and regal. I rolled my eyes, realising that she was going to pretend that this was all new news to her.

I sighed and went to the podium. I pulled the report out of my blazer pocket and looked through it quickly.


	3. Chapter 3

_I sighed and went to the podium. I pulled the report out of my blazer pocket and looked through it quickly._

It went in a blur. I read the entire report to the congregation of people, then left. When I was reading the names, I heard people crying. I can't listen to them crying any more. It's torture hearing these distressed people try to find someone to lay the blame on, and being the person that they fire it at. Everyone knows that it is the Strigoi that needs to be blamed, but I got where they were coming from. I'm the Head Guardian, I am in charge of security. I should have made sure that the guardians were adequately trained and that they knew the premises were secure. A freak Strigoi attack of over five hundred Strigoi is totally my fault.

Dimitri took me home as soon as I finished speaking. I went through to Amelia. She stirred and sat up, smiling when she saw me.

"Come for cuddles, mama," she ordered. I smiled and sat down with her, pulling her into my arms.

"How are you?" I whispered, kissing her on the cheek.

"I'm good. I played with Auntie Lissa lots when you were gone. She's nice."

"She is, isn't she," I laughed. Lissa was just a magnet for children; she loved them and they love her. Same with animals, and quite often, adults. She's just a wonder.

"And I like the basketball ring they have. And the slide," she tells me. Lissa had gone all-out and bought a bunch of toys for when Amelia was at their place. Amelia likes being there more than she likes being at home now.

"It's pretty sweet, isn't it?" I agreed. "We should get a house with a nice yard," I mused.

"That would be nice," Amelia agreed. "And I want a pool."

"A pool! Okay," I laughed. "We'll talk about it," I promised. I'm sure Abe can find us a house with a yard and a pool for her. To be honest, it sounds nice.

Gosh, look at me. I'm going even more domestic. A house with a yard and a pool? What's happening to me? I've got everything I could ever imagine having! I have Lissa, Dimitri, a child with Dimitri, I'm the Head Guardian, people all over the world respect me for my guardian abilities, I finished high school at the top of my class and I surpassed the age of eighteen. Why aren't I happy? Three years ago, this would have been the dream. Now I want a house? I'm changing. I don't know if I like that or not…

I broke my train of thought when I heard an ear-piercing scream.

Lissa.

I jumped up and ran through to her, in her head. She didn't know what was wrong. I checked her out. No physical wounds and it doesn't appear to be a spirit effect either.

"Rose, help me, it hurts!" she cried.

"I know, Liss," I tell her, getting her to sit on the couch. She curled up into a ball, breathing heavily. I didn't know what to do.

Dimitri came through with a glass of water and some painkillers. I made Lissa take them, but they didn't seem to have any effect on her.

"Holy crap," Lissa groaned, almost screaming. Her face morphed into pain, looking like she was struggling to breathe. She was sweating badly and crying. It hurt to see her, but it hurt more knowing that I couldn't help.

"Daddy what's wrong with Auntie Lissa?" Amelia asks as she stood in the doorway, chewing the ear of her teddy bear.

"Nothing, sweetheart. Come on, I'll read you back to sleep," Dimitri tells her, carrying her through to her room.

"I'm taking Lissa to the hospital," I tell Christian.

"Yep," he agreed, helping his wife stand up.

She screamed again, bending in half. "Rose, get me to the hospital," she growled.

I awkwardly picked her up. I was strong enough, but she's so tall! So much limbs!

Christian followed like a lost puppy. The second they saw that it was the Dragomir Princess screaming in pain, a room cleared in the hospital. They took her in and assessed her.

"Any ideas or symptoms?" a nurse asks us.

"She just started screaming. She's got no visible wounds, and I can't sense anything through the bond. She's just in pain," I quickly reply.

"Can you tell where she's hurting? Is it chest pains, joint pains?" she asked.

"It's…" I trailed off, getting inside Lissa's head. I knew this pain.

I pushed my way through to see Lissa.

"Do they know anything yet?" she groaned.

"No. but I think I do," I tell her.

"What is it? Can they just inject me with something?" she begged.

"They can give you some painkillers, but it's only gonna get worse form here, Liss."

"Why? What's wrong?" she asks, crying again.

I hesitated. I know she can't be, but… it would explain a lot.

"…Remember when you took that pregnancy test, and it was negative but you said that you felt weird?" I ask.

"Yeah," she muttered. "I remember. Why?" she sighed. I know they've been trying since then to get pregnant, but no luck so far. She's taken a few tests, same thing every time. Negative, and she feels weird about them.

It's almost like there's spirit flowing through them.

"Liss I think there's something spirit-y happening to your body that's been affecting the tests," I tell her hesitantly.

"Is this really the time?" she groaned.

"Yes, because I think that spirit made them show up negative. When I went into labour with Amelia, this is exactly what it was like… is there some way that you could be pregnant?" I frowned.

"Rose, look at my stomach. Flat! This is not the time to come up it useless theories!" she complained, feeling another rocket of pain rush through her.

"Okay, can someone please get me an ultrasound thingy?" I ask.

"Why?" the nurse from before asks.

"Trust me, get her an ultrasound."

She looked at me as if she didn't believe me. I tapped the side of my head. She glared, but concurred. "Get the Princess up to the scanning room," she sighed.

I followed them up to the room.

"What are we scanning?" the technician asks.

"Stomach," I reply, chewing on my thumb nail anxiously.

"Rose, be realistic!" Lissa cried.

"Shush for a minute, watch the screen," I ordered.

She was shocked I was being so harsh under the circumstances of her pain, but did as she was told.

I was right. The technician worked her magic, and… shit. That was a huge fucking baby!

"Oh my god!" Lissa squealed, horrified and excited all at once.

"Congratulations, Liss, you're in for a world of pain," I tell her.

I was trying to be really calm for her, but I was panicking a little bit. I don't know how to help her properly, or keep her safe. I don't know what any of this means. How did I not notice this? Lissa's my best friend; I should have known something was up. Hell, all of us should have noticed! It's freaking me out a fair bit, but if I panic, Lissa will panic. I need to keep calm for her.

"What do we do?" the technician whispered.

"Get us the whole crew or whatever you've got for births. There's a baby Dragomir coming, and it needs the best attention that it can be given," I tell her, snapping into business mode.

She scurried off. I followed Lissa as she was taken to yet another ward.


	4. Chapter 4

_She scurried off. I followed Lissa as she was taken to yet another ward._

"What's happening?" Christian panicked as we went past him.

"Come along, dad-to-be," I smiled, taking his hand.

"What?" he gaped, not moving.

I smiled. "She's pregnant, Chris."

"…No. we would know. She took a test two weeks ago. She's not pregnant, Rose," he shook his head, still stunned.

"Well she is. It's got to be spirit mucking about with everything. I don't know just yet. Just follow her and do whatever she tells you."

He looked really spooked. "…What if I do something wrong?" he whispered, biting his lip.

I sighed. Great. Can no one jump into work mode and focus on the one thing around here? Is it just me that can knuckle down and get the job done? Apparently it is.

"Christian, this is not the time," I tell him.

I cringed, feeling something through the bond. Her water broke. She's properly in labour. Shit! That was quick!

"Okay, go to her room, hold her hand, help the doctors if they ask, give her water and don't you dare tell her that everything will be okay because she will slap you."

"But—what—what's wrong with her?" he frowned.

I cringed. "Lissa's about to give birth."

I think Christian passed out for a split-second there. I pushed him towards Lissa's room. He seemed to snap into it a bit more when he saw Lissa changing into hospital garments.

I text Dimitri what was happening, then took a seat outside Lissa's room. I was exhausted. Why does nothing ever stop in my life? If things keep happening this fast-paced, I'm never going to get to sleep. I don't think I've slept in about four days now. It isn't healthy to function like this. What's gonna happen next? Freak tornado the second Lissa's given birth? Followed by an avalanche, then another attack right as the other finishes? Sounds about just my luck.

"Excuse me, Guardian Hathaway?" a nurse asks.

"Yeah?" I ask, snapping out of my twisted train of thought.

"The Princess is asking for you."

"Is she alright?" I demand.

"Yes. Scared, but she's okay."

I nodded and followed her into the room.

"Does it get worse?" Lissa demanded through clenched teeth.

I frowned and slipped into her head through the bond. She was doing well! She was definitely hiding a lot of the pain on the outside, but as soon as I was in, I could feel it. I couldn't stop my face from twisting in pain.

"Shit," I mumbled. "Yeah, it's gonna get a bit worse, but you're doing well," I promised.

She cringed further. "I'm sorry you're going to feel this!" she cried.

"Liss, relax. I can handle it," I promised. "Just focus on yourself and this kid."

She nodded, a mix of emotions and thoughts. She was so happy, but so worried.

"I thought I had more time, Rose. I thought I'd get to plan for this baby. Pick out names. Paint the room," she groaned.

"Forget all of that, because it's not happening," I tell her. She's gotta focus or she's gonna lose it. She'll be way too worried and stress herself out before she can do it.

"You'll stay, right?" she begged. I could tell how much she wanted me there. I was the only person she really trusted that knew what was going to happen. She also thought that Christian was going to be hopeless. He already looked a bit like he was going to faint.

"Sure," I promised.

Lissa had her baby a lot faster than I had mine. What a bitch. It was two hours, tops. I didn't say anything though. She was so proud of herself, complaining about how difficult it had been.

"Typical Princess luck, having a birth that easy," a nurse muttered.

"I reckon," I agreed. She rolled her eyes and kept going about her jobs. I saw Lissa and Christian's baby coming over in a nurse's arms, after being cleaned up, immunised, fed, all of the little things.

"A girl or boy?" Lissa excitedly asks.

"It's a boy," the nurse tells her, placing the tiny little bundle of blankets in her arms.

Lissa cooed and held the baby close. Christian broke out into a grin, poking the baby's cheek. I smiled to myself and left the room, giving them some time to themselves.

I walked down the corridor in search of a vending machine or something. All the screaming over Lissa, and trying to supress feeling pain through the bond had made my thirsty.

I sighed when I found one, and scrounged up some coins. I got a bottle of water and chugged it down like there was no tomorrow.

"Is it rough in there?" a god-like voice teased.

I smiled and turned to face Dimitri. "It was incredibly easy. Not even two hours."

"Really?" he frowned.

"Really. But to her it was like climbing Mt Everest," I rolled my eyes. "But I will be quiet and agree that it was difficult," I promised.

"Good," he smiled. "She's much more fragile than you," he reminds me.

"I know. Look," I tell him, holding up my left hand. Lissa had been squeezing Christian and I's hands.

"Ooh, a bruise," he teased.

"Exactly. Now go and see Christian's hand. You would think he'd been in a gang fight."

Dimitri laughed. "…Are they all healthy?"

"Yeah," I guaranteed. "The baby's a real cutie. A little boy."

"Oh really?" Dimitri smiled. I know he had kids on the brain, ever since we told everyone. Seeing everyone accept us and Amelia so well just made him get really clucky. I'm not ready for more kids, just yet, but if he can be patient, we'll see.

"Yeah," I nodded. "No name yet. They're thinking about them at the moment. He looks a lot like Christian, just cuter."

"Just cuter," Dimitri rolled his eyes.

"He's a Christian-clone with Lissa's eyes."

Dimitri smiled and wrapped his arms around me. I sighed. I'm exhausted.

"Let's go home," I tell him quietly.

"Good idea," he agreed.

We grabbed Amelia from the play-place and went home to finally get some rest. We didn't get much. Lissa was calling for me early the following day.

I groaned and got up. I decided to call her. This one-sided bond thing is really annoying.

"What do you want?" I groaned.

"…I woke you up, didn't I?" she asked.

"Yeah, but it's fine," I sighed. "What's up?"

Christian laughed at my apparent pain. "We're more important than your precious sleep, so come help us. We have nothing."

I frowned. I then began slowly remembering the previous day's events. I went into Lissa's head, figuring out what they needed.

Lissa and the baby were being released today from the hospital, and Lissa didn't have a single baby item. I cringed, wondering where the hell we put Amelia's old stuff. I think it's in a wardrobe somewhere, or something.

"Yep, okay," I sighed. "I can bring over a stroller and clothes. Then you can go shopping for yourselves," I tell them, still half asleep.

"Thank you, Rose! We owe you," Lissa called before hanging up.

I groaned and flopped back into bed.

"Make them wait," Dimitri groaned.

I frowned. "I don't like it when you're the mean one. It's stealing my job."

"We're both tired," he replied, pulling me closer with one arm.

"Yeah. Five minutes can't hurt," I agreed.


	5. Chapter 5

"_Yeah. Five minutes can't hurt," I agreed._

I eventually made it over to the hospital. I went over to Lissa's room, and began pulling things out of the pram. I threw all of the clothes at Christian, and dragged the pram to Lissa's bedside.

"How's my little man?" I ask her, smoothing back the little boy's hair.

"He's okay. He's hungry all the time," she sighed.

"Did you learn nothing, in our child studies class?" I teased.

"Apparently not," she mumbled. "…I can't go back to Lehigh now," she tells me.

"Good," I nodded. "Hearing that name in a hundred years' time will still be too soon to hear it."

"I'm sorry I made you go there. I wouldn't have, if I knew."

"I know," I promised. "What's done is done. Let's get this kid home and settled in, okay? Then you guys can go and buy everything for him. And maybe come up with a name?"

Lissa hesitated, looking at Christian. Christian nodded.

"We… have a name," she tells me.

"Come on, spill," I ordered.

She smiled. "We were thinking… Matthew?" she cringed. "I don't want to give him a traditional name," she added.

I saw all of the usual Russian and Romanian names circulating through her head, which brought a grimace to her expression. They sounded too… old for her. The Moroi get too caught up in their old traditions. Lissa wanted to be the person that drove the modern-shift ahead, even through something as simple as a name. Just look at her name, Vasilisa. It doesn't fit this era. It was time for a change in how Moroi remember their history.

Even if she couldn't do as she wished, Matthew did have some traditional ties to it. She was sifting through her knowledge of religious history, from the endless Sunday morning spent in church, listening to Father Andrew prattle on about different Saints. There was a Saint Matthew, somewhere in history, in some form of religion. She wouldn't be disputed for choosing this name for her heir.

I nodded. "Matthew," I mused. "I like it. Where did it even come from?"

I knew there had to be more to it than what she had conveyed to me through the bond. How did Matthew just happen to stick out to them?

They both shrugged, turning to look at each other. "It's just a name that we don't associate with someone we know or don't like," Christian tells me.

I laughed. "I'm sure that was difficult to find."

"Very," he promised.

"Matthew," I repeated, testing how it felt to say. It's a name I'll be repeating for my entire life. "Nice to meet you, little Matthew. I promise to corrupt you of all godly things your mother will teach you, when you're old enough," I smiled, mockingly shaking his hand. He looked completely out of it. I don't think he'll grow like Amelia grew.

"You really like it?" Lissa asks hopefully.

"Of course! Gosh, Liss, you don't need to come to me and ask for permission."

She laughed. "I want you to like it. He's going to be around for your whole life," she reminds me, as if she was the one that could read _my_ mind.

"I'm glad to get to be a part of this little family."

"Come on," Christian cut in. "Let's get his birth certificate done and get him home."

"Could you go and fetch the nurse?" Lissa asks him.

He nodded and left. I sat on the edge of Lissa's bed, knowing she was about to talk to me about everything she was feeling and thinking.

"I need you in this," she tells me. "I'm panicking a bit. I haven't had time to study or prepare."

"I'll be with you every step of the way," I promised.

She nodded, not any more calm. "…What if this happens every time? What if I don't have any symptoms, every time I get pregnant? What if I know nothing, ever?"

I shrugged. "When you're ready for a baby, be ready."

She nodded, frowning. "Yeah, I know. The doctors are running tests. So far, nothing. You knew when you were pregnant, didn't you?" she asks.

"Yeah. It was shorter than normal, and Amelia's still growing abnormally, as you know, but I knew. I don't think Matthew's going to grow differently."

"I hope he doesn't. No offence, but…" she trailed off, not wanting to say what she was thinking. She was worried about hurting me.

"I know," I assured her. "You want your baby to have a normal childhood, and you want to be able to remember it."

"Yeah," she cringed.

"Relax," I ordered. "I wish I had the same, but I don't. There's good and bad to both. But you'll get his whole childhood… He looks like a normal baby."

She nodded. "Doctors confirmed. Normal Moroi baby."

"Good."

We stopped talking when the nurse walked in. She came over the finished filling out the birth certificate, and gave them the release forms for Lissa and Matthew.

"Matthew Eric Lucas Dragomir-Ozera," I read aloud.

Christian nodded. "Yeah. We knew he'd take both of our names. Lissa wanted our dads' names in there too. She's such a traditionalist," he smiled.

"That's our Liss," I agreed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "How are you?"

"Me? Um, okay? Worried!" he promised.

"You'll be fine."

"I know I'll be fine, but I'm worried if Matthew will be fine. This… this is crazy stuff!" he laughed. "Is spirit going to affect him? What if it does? What do I do? …What if I'm not a good dad, Rose?"

"Christian Ozera, you will be a great father. You're brilliant around Amelia, and it's the same thing, just that you're going to unconditionally love this child. He's this little ball of nothing that's going to rely on you, but you aren't alone. You'll have help, and you'll know what to do when it comes down to it. Trust me."

He nodded. "Thanks. Dimitri and I will have to dad-group together while you and Liss rule the world," he teased.

"You will," I agreed.

I went home with the trio, as requested by Lissa. Everyone else would be there anyway, according to her.

"We have been worried sick!" Eddie cried when I walked in.

"Chill," I ordered. "Shit happened, but it's all good now," I explained casually.

"Rose!" Lissa scolded. "No swearing in front of children!"

I rolled my eyes and looked at Christian. He was pouting. I give it a week, then Lissa will back down on that rule. Besides, he won't remember it! He's a normal baby!

"God, did you get knocked up again, Rose?" Eddie groaned, seeing the stroller.

"No!" I protested. "And don't sound so annoyed about it!"

"This one's on me," Lissa piped up. "Spirit changed me as well. Meet our son, Matthew," she grinned.

Christian pulled Matthew out of the stroller, and brought him over to the group. They all melted around him, pinching his cheeks and stroking his hair and all of the little things you do to entertain newborns.

"Come on. We need to shop," Lissa tells me, looking dead on her feet.

"We can do it tomorrow," I promised her.

"No, I wanna do it now," she complained. "I want him to have at least a part of his room tonight."

"Okay, if you're up for it," I shrugged.

"I am. Tell Christian we're going. He can come if he wants."

"You want me there?" I frowned.

"Of course. You're my best friend. Christian won't be much help," she reminds me.

"Imagine Christian looking at breast pumps," I laughed.

She tried hard, but she couldn't stop laughing along with me. "We are making him help us with that," she assured me.

"I like it when you're evil."

"You bring out the worst in me, Rose Hathaway."

"Aw, Liss. You're so nice to me," I replied, hand over my heart.

She laughed again and called over Christian. "Chris, come on. We're going to buy everything we need for Matthew. Rose is coming to help."

"Ah, sweet!" he smiled.

He came over and awkwardly put Matthew back in the stroller. I frowned, watching him. He'll definitely need a few lessons on how to hold a baby. I don't think he realises that they aren't made of porcelain.

"Oh, Christian, please, can I come with you? I won't intrude, promise! I just love looking at all of the baby things, and I want to be with Matthew a little bit. You two are my only family, remember?" Tasha begged.

"Yeah, sure," Chris promised. "Rose is coming as well, so it can be a big thing. The whole gang."

"Oh. You're going, are you?" Tasha spat.

"Yes, I am going. Lissa asked me to be there," I snapped.

"Rose is going to be Matthew's god-mother, of course she is going to be with us," Lissa added, a steely expression in full force. She uses this face a lot in debate class, and in political meetings.

"His god-mother!"

"Yes, his god-mother. Rose is a brilliant mother, and if something were to happen to Christian and I, we want Rose to look after our child, because we know that he will be looked after and loved."

I bit my lip. Wow. Okay, god-mother to a royal? That's… wow. Also kinda ew? That means I have to be tied to royalty no matter what. It also means that Lissa's going to fight another battle for it, that I doubt will run smoothly or be very pretty. Oh well, she'll continue to pick battles like this until her death. It's part of why I love her.

"Come on. You can join us if you're willing to be quiet, Aunt Tasha, but if you can't control yourself, then don't come," Christian tells her.

I followed them out quietly. Eddie followed us, Mia following behind quietly. Tasha sighed and followed us as well.

"Will you both be okay with just Rose around?" Eddie asks.

"Aren't you coming?" Lissa replied.

"This is your child you're shopping for. Isn't it supposed to be…" Eddie searched for the right word.

"Just come with us, Eddie, it's no big deal," Christian promised.

Lissa knew pretty much everything she needed. I helped her with choosing between a few brands, and the shop assistants helped with everything else. They were all fighting between themselves over who would get to help the Dragomir Princess. News had clearly spread that Lissa had a kid.

"Gosh, everyone knows," she groaned on the way home.

"Everyone was going to find out," I reminded her.

"I know, but I was hoping for a few days! You know, to prepare! Being a royal isn't easy. He's needs to be properly registered, christened, he needs to meet the Queen, because he's my second in line—there's so much!"

"Liss, you need some rest. This can all wait."

"I'm supposed to do things properly, Rose!"

I sighed. "Liss, you are allowed to take a day to ease yourself into this. No one is going to judge you for it," I promised, watching her mind reach full-stress levels.

She screwed her face up at me. "I feel like it needs to be done right away."

"The world will wait for you," I promised.

"Can you stay tonight? Dimitri and Amelia can stay as well, there's space for everyone."

She as worried about what people were going to do. To put it bluntly: people want Lissa dead. She was worried that the hatred that people felt towards her would turn to Matthew.

I smiled sadly as I listened to her thoughts. It's crazy. Two days ago, this would seem impossible. Yeah, she and Christian were ready to have a baby, and had started trying, but they didn't know, obviously, how soon it would be. Today, she's a mother, and she's really taking it in her stride! She's just so happy, and it's making me happy too. She acts around Matthew like she's had him for months, and she loves him unconditionally. Lissa's already a really good mother.

Speaking of good mothering, where even is my child and her father?

"Rose?" Lissa interrupted.

"Hm? Oh, yeah! Yeah, we can stay tonight. Dimitri and I will do shifts between us, Eddie as well if he stays. We'll make sure Matthew's safe," I promised.

"Thank you so much!" she beamed. I wrapped my arms around her, letting her have a little moment to relax.

I sent her to bed when she pulled away, and called Dimitri. He and Amelia were over within minutes. Amelia was excited to meet Matthew, but I told her that she needed to wait until they were all awake. She complained a bit, but accepted it.

"Fine," she sighed. "But I'm hungry. I want ice-cream."

"So demanding," I teased, taking her to the kitchen.

We ate through a pint of ice-cream together, then sat around watching TV. One of Amelia's favourite TV shows was on, and she insisted that we all needed to be there to watch it.


End file.
